Course Summary.

W

hat is this course about?

While most driver training programs focus on teaching young drivers the operational skills needed to maneuver a vehicle through traffic, and provides an understanding of the laws applicable to highway use, as they should, this program is quite different. In this course, we focus entirely on the mental aspect of driving, which includes a focus on thought, human behavior, visual failings, decision-making, and consequences. In short, we focus on the consequences of Driver Conditioning—the underlying cause of nearly all vehicular crashes.*

Because of the importance of this material, in order to help the student remain focused, the course has been divided into eleven modules averaging approximately 12 minutes in length. At the conclusion of modules two through ten, an exam is presented which covers the content of that module—each question must be answered correctly before the student can continue to the next module. At the end of module eleven there is a final exam. Again, all questions must be answered correctly. Once the final exam is concluded with all questions being answered correctly, a Certificate of Completion may be printed.

At the time of the creation and development of this course, the material presented here was not being taught in traditional driver’s education/training classes. As time progresses, I am sure that will change to some degree. But in the years ahead, even if a majority of this material is duplicated in the classroom, this program will still have value as it will reinforce the positive message of highway safety based on driver habits and the potentially fatal consequences of Driver Conditioning.

As a final note, this course is not presented with a game-like theme. Since driving is a serious matter with sometimes deadly consequences, this material is presented in a semi-serious tone. Because we are using that method of teaching, in order to help the student remember what is being taught, repetition is used to promote a deeper familiarity and understanding of the material—information that could ultimately save their life.

* Driver Conditioning is defined as “the process through which drivers become conditioned to respond to traffic patterns and road conditions that remain consistent over an undefined period of time or distance.”

THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF DRIVING is a supplemental driver’s education course developed for the sole purpose of exposing teens and learning adults to many of the mental challenges embedded in the driving process—challenges that present life-threatening experiences. Presenting information not required by federal, state, or local governments, this is not a “required” course when earning a license to drive. This course does, however, provide information not typically available in driver’s education programs, and provides vital information helpful in fulfilling the current national goal of zero fatalities.

We have worked to keep the cost extremely low so that all teens can benefit from this educational series. Equally important, while investing in the life of your most precious asset, by taking this course in highway safety you are supporting teen-centered safe driving programs across the country, as well as other research programs to help keep our highways safe through The Sandy Johnson Foundation: Making Our Roads Safer.